Lunch Adventure Sundance Cinemas

Sometimes we find ourselves in odd places where a trip to the deli for a decent salad isn’t possible, and situational constraints require creative action to avoid eating out of a vending machine. Other times we just need to escape the stuffy confines of traditional restaurant dining, so we embark on Lunch Adventures.

Sundance Cinemas, 430 N. Midvale Blvd., (608-316-6900)

Why you’re really there: You’re probably at Caffe 608, the concession stand/coffee house inside Sundance Cinemas at Hilldale mall, because you’re shirking your responsibilities to catch a matinee. You’ve finally resolved to see that film about which your friends always say, “Have you seen [movie X]? It’s sublime,” in order to have an opinion on said film, probably along the lines of “That one is overrated.” That movie is probably The King’s Speech.

You won’t find this in most restaurants: Apart from giant movie posters advertising only the classiest films—you won’t get to catch Grown-Ups at Sundance—the other thing distinguishing Caffe 608 is the fact that it’s one of only two concession stands like it, being that there are only two Sundance Cinemas in the country. (The other is in San Francisco.) That popcorn you’re eating is pretty damn exclusive.

Delightful discovery: The booth- and couch-heavy Caffe 608 is a pseudo post-lunch hangout for a variety of types, so much so that there was a line outside when the place opened at 1 p.m. The A.V. Club can’t vouch for whether the people we saw reading books in Caffe 608 were planning to take in screenings of True Grit, but to the dude who took his shoes off: not cool, bro.

Signature selection: Caffe 608 boasts a surprising wealth of menu options beyond the traditional popcorn, including ciabatta sandwiches, quesadillas, and pizza. For under $10, The A.V. Club had a small sausage, mushroom, and onion pizza that overcame its inauspicious creation—behind a little partition, baked in a vacuum-packaging-looking convection oven—to be a pretty good choice. The cheese and toppings were plentiful, and it came in a tiny box that lent itself well to eating during a screening. There’s nothing like eating a pizza and watching a movie, as years of Pizza Hut advertising have taught us.

Chance of return visit: There’s always going to be some movie you need to have an opinion on, and Sundance is the only locale for a handful of movies that screen in town (The King’s Speech and Blue Valentine most recently), so the chance you’ll be back at Caffe 608 is probably pretty good. And the food here is better than the hours-old pretzel bites you can get at the Marcus Theaters in town.